Buying a house, cracks in the walls - to be worried about?

Upcycling_Queen

Pictures 3 & 5 would have me running for the hills. There are the superficial cracks which appear but yours seem rather large.

The ones that change direction are a huge no no. Please please have a full structural before buying. I suspect the foundations are not up to standard if these are in relation to an extension. 

jtaylor477

thanks again all.

Another thing, I've tried to find the planning application for the extension and it's nowhere to be seen...

Noneforit999

jtaylor477 said:

thanks again all.

Another thing, I've tried to find the planning application for the extension and it's nowhere to be seen...

If the extension has been done in the last 20 years or so, it should be on the local Councils planning pages. If you can't find it, email the planning department, I find they are fairly helpful and will provide what they have.

How large is the extension? It may have fallen under permitted development so they would just need building regs but the seller should have this if its recent.

If those cracks are close to or part of the extension, I would be running away at speed personally.  Even if there are no external cracks, that doesn't mean the inner brickwork (i.e. behind the plaster) doesn't have cracks in it.

stuart45

How big is the opening from the existing to the extension?

Section62

jtaylor477 said:

thanks again all.

Another thing, I've tried to find the planning application for the extension and it's nowhere to be seen...

What about the dormer?  Was that done as part of a loft conversion?  If so, there is absolutely no question that there should have been a BR paper trail (in this case).

Section62

Noneforit999 said:

jtaylor477 said:

thanks again all.

Another thing, I've tried to find the planning application for the extension and it's nowhere to be seen...

If the extension has been done in the last 20 years or so, it should be on the local Councils planning pages. If you can't find it, email the planning department, I find they are fairly helpful and will provide what they have.

OP, be aware that contact with the council may void any indemnity policy the vendors ask you to accept in lieu of having the correct planning and building control consents/sign off.

Personally I'd go ahead and make the contact anyway in this case because there is already visible movement and I wouldn't be buying the property on the basis of indemnity policies alone.

jtaylor477

Section62 said:

jtaylor477 said:

thanks again all.

Another thing, I've tried to find the planning application for the extension and it's nowhere to be seen...

What about the dormer?  Was that done as part of a loft conversion?  If so, there is absolutely no question that there should have been a BR paper trail (in this case).

yes it was, a loft conversion. I've been able to obtain the sign off certificates for the building extensions, yet to get the council planning permission info (whether it's needed or not).

I doubt that the size of the extension falls within the permissive area (it's quite big).

OK, so presuming all OK regarding planning permission, based on what I've put in here how confident would you feel about the results of a structural survey on the property? Like, if a professional went in to examine the property and deemed that the cracks were fine - within a couple of years of the extension being added - and part of natural settlement, is their qualified opinion enough assurance? Would they be able to determine enough information to extrapolate what the owner of the house might be in for in the coming years? I'm aware that there's always risk involved but there's no point in making my life a misery buy worrying too much.

Oh, if it wasn't already apparent I'm a first time buyer, hence why I'm second guessing everything/have so many questions.